Home Is Where You Belong
by Nomi's Secret
Summary: Scott is back and so is his grief. Can an independant, wild and solitary old student of Xaviers help him get over the pain? Can Artemis Winchester face her deepest fears and let her heart rule her head? Runs along the same timeline as Where Ever I Go.
1. Life Goes On

**Home Is Where You Belong**

**_Author's Note- Hey! Yes this is another X-men fic that isnt the sequal to Xavier's Rose but this runs along the same time as the sequal so...This is about Scott and a woman called Artemis. I've kinda lost my flow at the moment so i asked ParaCaerOuVoar to...well the character is based on her. Thanks for helping and i hope you enjoy it!_**

**_Song that inspired the story (effectively)= Home by Daughtry_**

**_Chapter Song= Run by Amy Macdonald (if anyone has anymore suggestions about a better song please tell me! lol)_**

**Chapter One- Life Goes On**

"Damn it!" Artemis shouted again as she hit the steering wheel harder than she thought possible, luckily the airbag hidden in the centre didn't blow up. That really would make her day. She let her sun kissed hands rest on the top of the fake leather wheel and sat back in the drivers seat of her battered off road jeep. Slowly she let her hands fall on to her lap.

She sighed again at her rotten luck, her first time back in America for ten years and the car that she had repaired and modified for the majority of that time had finally decided to give up. When they were only two miles away from the mansion too!

Artemis shook her head to clear it from the lack of sleep that clouded her senses and she cast a look out of the windscreen. It was getting dark. She couldn't help but wonder what the time was, she turned the radio on hoping to hear the voice of Vivian Markson; the radio presenter of NYS radio. Her hopes raised when the unit came on and the orange lights flared for a while before dying and finally extinguishing the last of her hopes.

"Great! Not only has ignition died but so has the battery!" Artemis laughed to herself before sobering up and she got out of the jeep tiredly.

She slammed the door like she always had done and then she walked around to the front and popped the bonnet. She pushed her long hair back behind her ears and began to search with her hands. After a few minutes she removed her hands and held them up to the dying light, they were covered in oil. The silver ring she always wore on her right hand was also covered in oil, she got a tissue from her back pocket and cleaned it to the best of her ability but some of the oil got into the groves and engravings of the two leaves that wrapped around her ring finger. When she was satisfied she couldn't get it any cleaner she wiped her dirty hands on the thighs of her worn and holey jeans and closed the bonnet, there was no way she was going to be able to fix it in the night even if she had replacement parts.

"Even if it was safe to glow" she whispered to herself remembering the threats and anger that had taken over the entire mutant issue.

Artemis stepped back and regarded the old thing, her insides started to physically hurt when she thought about leaving it out in the dark. It was her oldest friend effectively and as her emotions about her oldest friend dying began to surface she bit her tongue and reminded herself it was just a car before walking around to the back and removing the hessian covering. She grabbed her two of the five cases that were full of essentials and things she had collected from her travels. Seeing as she could only carry two, she picked the two with the most valuable objects and put them on the tarmac of the road. Next she looked around before pushing the jeep into a small dent in the woodland that covered either side of the road. When she was sure no idiots would crash into it during the night she returned back to the cases. One had wheels so she extended the handle and proceeded to wheel that one while the other had to be carried to the only place she had ever really called home…or the only place she had stayed long enough to call home.

* * *

"Hey! It's lights out guys!" Scott shouted to a few of the students still playing on the basketball court. He held the door open and stood aside so they could walk past him and into the mansion. It was about a month into term and he had moved back into his role of teacher even though he was still struggling about everything internally. The Professor sensed this and made sure his duties were only what he could handle.

Peter, Kitty, Dew and Bobby walked past him and went up to their rooms, they had all been hit rather hard by the events of the summer. Rogue had died and Rose had runaway, Scott could tell just by looking that Bobby was finding it hard to cope but his friends were there for him and he accepted their kindness gratefully. Sure none of them knew how hard it was but they were there. Scott realised that if he had maybe accepted his friends help last year than maybe his life wouldn't have been so grim. Because of this he had tried to talk to Rose before she ran but just like him she didn't want to know. Scott sighed and closed the door when he made sure that there were no kids still outside. He locked the door and proceeded up to his own room after checking all the classrooms on that floor to make sure everyone was in bed.

-----------

When he reached his room, he was hit again by the grief that had followed Jean's death. Everywhere he looked reminded him of her, the bed they shared together; she had always slept on the left side, the large wardrobe that housed their clothes was now half empty and through the lack of use dust had gathered on the half she had used, the bedside table still had the ring mark from the glass of water she always used to have just before she went to bed. Scott felt it all become too much for him, the tears began to well up and fall freely from his eyes. He removed his ruby glasses and closed his eyes sitting on the corner of the bed. He wiped the tears away by himself and replaced his glasses. He wanted to move on but it was just hard to…he had to let go but how?

After two years since her initial death, many people had gotten over it but then he had heard her voice, the voice he had craved since she sacrificed herself…tears began to flow again but this time they were stopped by a thought, not hands or tissues.

"Life goes on…" Scott whispered and he turned the light out.


	2. Wise Guy

**Chapter Two- Wise Guy**

_**Author's Note- Sorry for the lateness! To be honest it's ParaCaerOuVoar for getting my ass into gear lol. Have to thanks her for the chapter song to! Cheers! Also sorry for the language in this chappy but I thought it fit the Artemis's mood! And sorry for the lack of Scott...I just thought Arti deserved this chappy all to herself lol. Enjoy!**_

_**Chapter Song- Nice Guys Finish Last by Green Day**_

Artemis dropped the other case so she could have a better grip on the other one. She yanked at the case she was pulling along the ground even harder than she thought possible. The wheel had gotten stuck in a pothole and in the pitch black it was kinda hard to see them…or see how to get the case out of the hole. Cursing she pulled even harder and it finally gave way but the wheel flew off and rolled into the middle of the road. She fell backwards on to the tarmac as the case fell on top of her.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" she shouted as she moved the case from its position on her abdomen.

She stood up angrily and ran her hands through her loose dark hair before bending over and picking up the now one wheel case with her left hand. She straightened up just as a small car with bright headlights came speeding around the corner. Artemis realised with a sinking feeling that she was in the middle of the road, she dived aside just in time dropping the case. For a second she lost control and became brighter than the headlights but the driver didn't notice as she landed in the undergrowth next to the road. Artemis regained control almost instantly and it became dark again apart from the headlights.

"Stupid bitch!" the driver shouted out of his window as he carried on driving.

"What the fuck!? You're the one going ninety miles an hour dick head! Wise guy…" she shouted back.

The driver heard her remark and reversed back down the road obviously wanting a confrontation.

"Oh shit…" she said to herself and then she noticed her one wheel case in the middle of the road, open, clothes and belongings scattered everywhere. Her nostrils began to flare, a clear signal to just about anyone that she was pissed off.

She moved out of the undergrowth and walked up to the car as it slowed to a halt just after running over her case, he wasn't doing himself any favours, the guy who must have just got his first car about five seconds ago looking at his acne looked her up and down before speaking.

"What did you say?" he asked her.

"I said you're the one driving ninety miles an hour dick head…" she said through gritted teeth.

"Wanna say that when you're a bit closer?" he was trying to act big and it wasn't going to wash.

Artemis bent over and put her classically beautiful face mere inches from his pockmarked one, "I said" he voice was full of anger and aggression, "you're the one driving ninety miles an hour, dick head" she emphasised every word.

"Oh yeah, I know but I'm not a stupid bitch who's stood in the middle of the fucking road!" he said arrogantly and it was obvious he was from the Bronx area of New York City. He was probably just out for a dangerous, hell raising car race or something.

"Wanna say that when you're out here?" she played him at his game.

She stood back as he went to open his door and he stood beside his car door facing her in the night. He was at least a foot shorter than her and was scrawny as hell but he deserved what he was about to get.

"You're a stupid, fucking bitch…" he said while approaching her, "what the fuck you gonna do about it?"

"Kick your ass…" she replied steadily.

"Excuse me?" he didn't quite hear her.

"I said I'm gonna kick your ass" she said and he laughed at her.

"You? A pretty bitch like you?" he found it hysterically amusing which pissed Artemis off even more.

"Think I'm a pretty bitch eh?" she asked him and he nodded still laughing to himself, "well…I'm gonna be the last thing you see for a few weeks…"

He didn't understand her comment as she closed the distance between them, curling her hand in to a ball as she walked and when she was an arms length away from him she said two words, "sweet dreams", then Artemis unleashed all her fury in one swing which hit him on the left side of his face.

He was knocked to the ground in one blow and then she just picked up what was left of the one wheel case before picking up her other case and walking casually down the road. She felt a lot better now she had punched the guy…no one ever got away with nearly running her over.

"Ah…only another ten minutes and I should be there" she said to herself as she struggled to hold two cases.


	3. Break In

**Chapter Three- Break In**

**_Author's Note- Arti and Scott meet! Well nearly lol. _**

**_Chapture Song- Photograph by Nickleback_**

Artemis was finally stood at the bottom of the drive that led up to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, the great black iron gates were closed and locked of course. It was still pitch black. She calculated it must be at least two A.M.

"No way am I getting in then…" she said quietly to herself as she cast a glance over to the communication box that was controlled from Xavier's office, it flashed green, a sign that it was switched on but Artemis doubted that anyone would hear the buzz. Anyway she didn't feel like waking anyone up, not for her to just get in. she could do that quite easily herself.

She stepped back a few metres and assessed the gates. They were roughly two point five metres high looking at them, spikes at the top, the only horizontal bar in the middle just below the schools trademark sign.

"Easy" she said confidently before grabbing her one of her two cases and securing it in a bush nearby. She placed her second case next to it and made sure no one could see them from the road.

"Right…" she rubbed her hands together and then approached the gates confidently putting her right foot at the base and her left foot on the middle bar while moving higher up with her hands. She had an awful lot of experience scaling gates and walls from her time abroad.

* * *

Scott Summers woke up with sore eyes and a dry throat. He rubbed his eyes before rolling over onto his side of he could put his glasses on. Once again the world was ruby red in tint, he wished to be able to see everything in its normal colour like he had done before his powers materialised or when he was injected with that solution at the WMHG. He sat up in his bed and looked at the digital clock; 2:34 A.M.

"Great…" he said to himself before pulling the sheet from him and pulling on a pair of jeans.

After a few seconds he walked out the room and made his way downstairs.

* * *

When she had finally gotten over the gate Artemis ran her hand through her hair and made her way up the drive. It had been ten years since she had last walked down this drive, strangely at the same time of night…just in the other direction.

"Nice to see it hasn't changed to much…" she observed when she was stood outside the doors to the actually building. It was still the same design, still the same garden landscaping surrounding her and the same old sports shed.

A smile appeared on Artemis's face when she saw it, it was small, dirty but it held a way into the mansion without waking anyone up, the secret little gateway into the underground complex.

She made her way over to it and she was slightly surprised it wasn't locked but she wasn't one to argue with things that made her life easier. Artemis opened the door and stepped inside and walked down the steps that would take her into the heart of Xavier's world.

* * *

He made his way down the main staircase slowly, Scott never liked walking about at night, even with the lights on. To him it was a bit creepy, something he had never admitted to anyone not even Jean. After a few moments his bare foot landed on the cool lobby floor and he walked into the kitchen so he could get a drink.

* * *

Artemis came out in the complex close to where the elevator was. To be honest this had changed a little, the doors and décor had been updated but only to make it safer. Not because Xavier wanted it to look nice.

She walked up to the elevator doors and pressed the call button. She heard the whizzing sound of the cables working as it moved to her position. The doors opened slowly and she stepped in pressing the top button. The cool doors closed and she ascended into the mansion proper.

* * *

He poured the hot water into his cup and stirred it. The coffee was black. Always black and no sugar. He raised the cup to his lips and drank it careful not to burn his mouth. Then Scott heard the elevator moving, the tell tale sound of the cable wires unmistakeable in the silence of the sleeping school.

"Who the hell…" he said to himself, putting the cup down on the kitchen side then venturing out into the lobby.

* * *

The elevator doors opened into the lobby and Artemis stepped out and looked around. The lobby lights were on so she must've woken someone up then. Everything was the same though and she sighed at the thought that something stayed the same. After a few moments she heard something move at the other end of the room. She turned her head to see what it was. There was a man…he was wearing a pair of jeans…and that was it apart from some ruby coloured sunglasses that he removed as soon as he saw her. She realised with shock that beams of pure red light came from them and straight at her!


	4. Mutant?

**Chapter Four- Mutant?**

_**Author's Note- Sorry its late! *begs forgiveness* but I have been busy lol hope you enjoy it! =D**_

_**Chapter song- How do you do by Natasha Bedingfield (cos its when they actually get introduced lol)**_

Scott saw the intruder and immediately lifted his glasses so that the red hot beam was fired at them. The person didn't know what was going to hit them. Momentarily he was blinded by his own power but after a few seconds he replaced his glasses and looked around. The wall had a scorch mark but the person wasn't there. They had jumped aside!

* * *

Artemis lunged to the side just as the beam was about to hit her, she fell to the ground with a large thud and after a few moments the light faded and a scorch mark was one the wall behind where she had been standing.

"Jesus…" she said to herself but then got into a full blown rage, "What the hell do you think you're doing! Xavier does not have students or teachers or whatever blasting people on sight!"

"What the hell do you know about Xavier?! The WMGH will never get in here!" the man screamed just as he was about to raise his glasses again when another man charge down the stairs right at Artemis but got hit by the beam instead.

He was flung across the room taking her with him, they finally rested up against a wall.

"Get off me you great lummox!" she screamed as she struggled underneath this strange man who had strange claws extending from his knuckles. Artemis was getting so agitated when she heard her attacker approaching she panicked and lost control. A great beam of white light flooded the room. After some struggling she managed to move him off of her and regain control.

Her attacker looked at her, "you're a mutant?"

"No…I'm a chimpanzee…" she told him not trying to stop the sarcasm in her voice, "of course I'm a god dam mutant"

The man looked her up and down and noticed her ring, it was a silver band that looked like it was covered in something, a liquid he couldn't make out, "so you're not WMHG?"

Artemis's look said it all, 'do I look like someone who is going to charge into a school and kill all the students? On my own?'

"Sorry…for…attacking you like that…my names Scott" he said offering a hand out to shake.

She looked up at him, and tried to see the eyes behind the glasses then lowered her eye level to his hand before raising an eyebrow.

"Oh…" Scott said as he withdrew his arm.

Artemis winked at him just because she wanted to and had to stop herself smiling as small pink circles appeared on his cheeks before growing and spreading down his neck, to save him some embarrassment she turned her attention to the other man laying on the floor, "What's up with your friend?"

"oh…he's not a friend…and he'll be fine" Scott told her but it didn't stop her kneeling down and checking his pulse, she felt it and was about to pull away when all of a sudden the man woke up and grabbed hold of her wrist. He pulled at her as if he was going to throw her across the room but she resisted and pulled back. She caught him off guard and pulled him to his feet as she got up. He let go and they stood there facing each other.

"Logan…" Scott warned.

"Hit her…" he said referring to his beams.

"Logan?" Artemis said raising her fists to her face, "Good I always like to know the name of the person I'm gonna beat to a pulp…"

"You think you can win in a fight against me?" Logan asked extending his claws.

"I know I can beat you…" she told him loosening her ring.

"Logan stop it" Scott said.

"No…" he said raising his fist and pushing it right at Artemis but she managed to dodge quite easily so that he only slashed the air but that meant her ring flew off her finger and landed on the ground.

"Logan! She's not the enemy!" Scott told him.

The man looked her up and down and calmed down, "really? She looks like she knows how to look after herself…"

"Thanks…" Artemis piped up.

"No problem…" he said as she bent over to pick up her ring, examining her tight fitting jeans.

The look didn't go unnoticed by Artemis, she turned around and slapped him full across the face, "if you look at my ass again I'll make sure I dislocate your jaw!"

Logan looked ready to retaliate while Scott stifled a laugh until the Professor arrived.

"Artemis!" he said in amazement, "I didn't think we'd see you again"

" Professor X!" she said with a smile on her face, "to be honest neither did I…but things change and with its not only America where the WMHG are having an impact…"

"I know…I see you have met two of our teachers, Scott Summers and Logan" he told her.

"Yeah…met them…" she said through clenched teeth.


	5. Teesh

**Chapter Five- Teesh**

_**Author's Note- Sorry for the lateness!**_

_**Chapter Song- Don't Mess With Me by Poets Of The Fall because they need someone to pick up their beat, their dreams need realizing…or it'll end up like before**_

"Well it's nice to see you've gotten on rather well" the Professor said knowing full well what happened before he arrived.

"Rather well?" Logan asked scoffing at his idea of 'well'.

"You should be happy she didn't rip your eyes out Logan…and the same goes for you Scott" he told them with a smile.

"Teesh" Artemis made her 'I'm not that bad' noise, "I'm really not that dangerous Prof…"

"You seem to forget that I can see what you've done and you've done a lot worse than that while you've been away…" he said slightly disappointed in one of his favourite students.

"A girl has to make a living don't she?" she retaliated doing what she always did and let her aggressive side out.

"Yes yes I know…but there are better ways of living than that, you know I don't agree with that sort of thing…" He said.

"Yeah yeah yeah, I was in a difficult position" she sounded like a scorned child, "Anyway…one of you guys wanna help me with my bags?"

Logan looked at Scott before chuckling and making his way up to his room, leaving Xavier, Artemis and Scott alone in the lobby.

"Asshole…" was all Artemis could say as she watched him go.

"I'll help" Scott offered.

"Thanks, to be honest I only want you for your keys" she said with a wink and the Professor chuckled.

"You haven't changed one bit" he said to himself while making his was to the elevator.

Scott had been blushing again but grabbed a set of keys from a nearby cupboard and opened the door.

* * *

Artemis led the way down the lane, Scott followed behind her, he was still shirtless and it was kinda cold.

After a while she asked him, "how long you been at the mansion?"

"Erm…since I was seventeen" he told her, "you?"

"Xavier found me when I ran away at the age of seven…surprised I didn't see you…there's only about six years difference between us at most…" she said, "Sure I would remember a face like yours"

Scott laughed, "Yeah and I think I'd remember an attitude like yours"

"Is that a thinly veiled insult?" she asked playfully as they walked further down the lane.

He smiled and wondered about something, "What did you do exactly abroad?"

Artemis went quite and didn't answer until they reached the gate five minutes later, "I was involved in several things like stealing, intelligence operations and other things. I basically acted as a mercenary for ten years."

"Oh" he said as he fumbled with the keys in the gate, it was dark and he could barely see anything.

"Wait, let me help" she said to him and she started to glow a little bit, just enough for him to work.

"Thanks" Scott told her when the gates where open.

"No problem" she said quietly and she went back to normal as she passed him and went to grab her cases from the undergrowth. She pulled them back along the tarmac and refused to let him help her although one case was falling apart and her belongings were on full show.

"Are you sure you don't want any help?" he asked Artemis as he closed the gates.

She rolled her eyes to herself, "I'm fine, I've survived in some of the worst places on the planet with no form of protection, I think I can make it up a drive with some luggage."

"Well okay" he said and they made their way back up towards the mansion.

She asked him, "So how have you spent the last ten years?"

He sighed, "I was a member of the X-men and met Je-"

Artemis picked up on his pause but didn't press him.

"I met a lot of people and then Logan turned up…things got complicated since then, to cut things short I was captured and released by the WMHG and Xavier's daughter found us, one of the students died and she ran away…" he finished not wanting to give to many details about his own past.

"Xavier has a daughter?" she asked.

"Yeah, Rose…she's pretty stubborn and independent" he told her.

"Sounds like someone I know" she laughed.

Scott laughed too as they reached the mansion, "she's not a pain in the ass like you though"

Artemis put on a mock sad face, "That hurt"

They entered the lobby and he showed her to a room she could stay in for her time back in the mansion.


	6. Valve Train

**Chapter Six- Valve Train**

_**Author's Note- hey! I hope I can update a lot quicker than I have been doing! Thanks to everyone who's read/reviewed! Enjoy!**_

_**Chapter Song- Hold on by KT Tunstall**_

Artemis spent the last few hours of the night in a spare room, you could tell it had been unlived in for a while. It was perfect. It was clean, tidy and there wasn't a thing out of place, hell the bed sheets were ironed for Christ's sake!

It was nothing like when she had lived there as a student, her teenage ways meant that the room was often a complete mess and her roommate was the same. Only she decided to blame Artemis for it all, she didn't complain because Izzy used to let her copy her homework in return for her taking the detentions for both of them.

She hadn't got much sleep by the time she heard the kids running up and down the halls trying to get to class on time. She had to admit, it was damn annoying when they shouted although that was mainly the younger students. Pulling herself out of bed she made her way to the en suit bathroom and ran the shower which was going to wash off the oil and dirt from her walk last night. After taking her grotty and stained clothes off and tossing them on the floor she removed her ring placing it on the side of the sink before stepping into the waterfall of warm, clean liquid.

* * *

Two floors below Scott was stood at the door to the garage, it was nearly full and he was waiting for the last few kids to run through the door before starting the lesson which just happened to be mechanics. Not the most entertaining subject in the world to some people but it was important, well it was to anyone who drove. He had changed into some tough blue overalls that had oil stains just about everywhere.

Kitty and Dew came running through the door almost knocking him over while chorusing, "Sorry we're late!"

"No problem girls" he said quietly before closing the door and doing a quick head count, nineteen students. Everyone was there.

He sighed and walked into the middle of the room where there was a car with its hood open and an oil stained cloth covering the engine, the students who were wearing stained blue overalls formed a small semi circle around the car so the all got a good view.

"Right, today we're going to learn about the Engine pistons, crankshaft and valve train, anyone got any idea what they are?" he asked them clapping his hands together.

* * *

Artemis changed into a spare set of clothes which comprised of a pair of worn dark jeans, a black t-shirt and a pair of durable leather boots. She cleaned her ring and slid it back on to her slim finger, she brushed her hair but left it wet. She didn't bother doing anything with it, she just tied it up in a bun and left the room. Quickly walking down the stairs she entered the lobby and looked around for Xavier. He was in his office filing some paper work away, she popped her head around the door and smiled.

"Artemis, what can I do for you?" he asked kindly.

"Oh nothing much, I just need to borrow a truck big enough to tow mine back up here" she told him.

Xavier chuckled and looked at the woman stood before him, sometimes he couldn't believe how long it had been since she had first come to the school, "of course, take one from the garage, there should be some towing cables nearby"

"Oh don't need to worry 'bout them, I have my own" she told him as she left the office and made her way over to the garage.

* * *

"Right, Bobby can you tell me what pistons do?" Scott asked one of his students who seemed to be day dreaming, the cover on the engine was off and his hands were covered in oil.

"What? Ugh…" He struggled, "Erm…they move up and down in the cylinders before ignition?"

The older man nodded and he heard the door click softly behind him but didn't pay any attention, "yes and how many to most cars have?"

Bobby was stuck for an answer, "Erm"

"they normally have four or six but some can have eight" a female voice cut through the air causing the entire class to look at the source.

Scott turned around to find the woman he had helped last night stood waiting, "Artemis…what are you doing?"

She shrugged and looked at the group, "I was going to find a truck to tow mine with but seeing as there's a mechanics class going on, I'll think I'll stay and listen"

Scott seemed gob smacked and his mouth was open so in return she winked at him and smiled which made him blush. He turned around and carried on with the class.

"Right the crankshaft, anyone want to hazard a guess as to what that is?" he asked them, they looked at him blankly and he carried on, "it converts the straight line motion into a rotary motion"

The students nodded and made notes on their pads of paper.

"Now the Valve Shaft" Scott walked around for a bit, not allowing the presence of Artemis to put him off, "that's made up of valves, rocker arms, pushrods, lifters, and the crankshaft"

"Camshaft" she piped up.

He turned around, "What?"

"It doesn't consist of the crankshaft, it's the camshaft" she corrected him.

Scott was taken back, "look I think I know, I teach this subject"

"Yeah and I've fixed my own ride for the past twelve years, I've changed a camshaft before, I think I know where it is" Artemis wouldn't give up the fight.

"Show me" he told her.

She approached the uncovered engine and stuck her hands in, she didn't care about the oil, she'd had worse stains than that, "there's the Crankshaft and that's the valve train…it's clearly not part of it" she pointed to the relevant parts and proved her point.

He sighed and every member of the class had smirks on their faces after seeing their teacher proved wrong by an unknown woman.


	7. Off Road

**Chapter Seven- ****Off Road**

_**Author's Note-**__** hope you enjoy this one!**_

_**Chapter Song- Bad Influence by P!nk**_

Scott looked around the class again and luckily the sound of the school's bell echoed throughout the building. He looked at his watch instinctively; 10:00 A.M exactly. The bell telling that the lesson had ended was bang on time like it always was, the students were given five minutes between each lesson so they could finish off, grab books or get to the other side of the school if necessary. The class started removing their overalls in a hurry so they wouldn't be late for the next lesson, they dumped them on hooks on the wall closest to the door on their way out. He didn't bother shouting at them to stop what they were doing instead he watched them leave through the door they had entered through.

Artemis moved out of their way and leant on the hood of a silver 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer, she assumed it was one of the teacher's rides.

Probably a geography buff's, she thought and looked at it disdainfully. One thing was for sure, she loved cars but only when she knew them inside and out. The rest of them were just for looking at, which was strangely like her relations with men. She preferred jeeps, trucks and hey anything that wouldn't break down as soon as she took it on rugged terrain which sadly was very few.

When all of the students had left the garage and hurried off, Scott stood in the middle of the room with hands on hips looking more than a little pissed off.

Artemis raised a tentative eyebrow, "what?"

"Why did you do that?" he asked looking her in the eye through his ruby coloured glasses.

She seemed dumbstruck, "I didn't want the kids getting it wrong, trust me when you're trying to fix the camshaft you need to know where it is"

"well you just showed me up in front of the class" he told her, the undertone in his voice clear to everyone.

She walked towards him, the expression on her face threatening if not deadly and leaned into his face, "look, i know you've probably had problems, i know it wasn't fair what i did but you dare talk to me like that again or try to pick a fight with me i will not be held responsible for my actions!"

Scott levelled her look but didn't say anything, they looked at each other for over a minute before Logan appeared at the door.

"am i interrupting?" he asked sarcastically.

Artemis didn't bother turning around and moved away from him looking for a suitable truck, "only a staring competition"

"looks like it" he observed.

Scott lowered his head with his jaw set, "what are you looking for?"

"who me or her?" the other man answered.

He looked up, "you"

"okay okay don't get so touchy, or maybe that just what you need" he said slyly.

"logan...what do you want?" he asked.

He entered the room, "i need to talk to you, its about Rose"

Scott rubbed his temples and walked towards him. They talked in hushed tones while Artemis continued looking for a half decent truck. She'd found an old off road jeep shoved at the back of the garage. It was covered in mud and partially dented in several areas from the last time anyone used it, only trees or rocks could cause those dents which fitted with it being an off road vehicle.

She then returned to where the men were talking before opening a cupboard and search for keys with the label, 'Jeep off road 2006'. This earnt her a curious look from Logan but she found them easily and retreated back to the jeep.

She opened the door and sat in the driver's seat making sure that it was in gear before finding the clutch and turning the key in the ignition. There was a splutter then nothing. She tried it again and heard the revs turning over without it actually contacting. Artemis sighed heavily and removed the keys, the engine fell silent and she climbed down from the seat. Her feet touched the ground softly in her leather boots and she walked around before popping the hood. It was heavy but nothing she couldn't handle, she placed her hands underneath and lifted. When it was high enough she released one arm and grabbed the prop. Typically it was covered in oil so it was slippy but she tightened her grip and slot it into place. She could then keep both her hands free without having the hood fall on her head as she worked.

She looked at the mess before her, the engine had crusted mud in most available cracks and this made it harder to work. She started feeling around making sure it couldn't have found a way into the inner workings of the machinery. She came to the conclusion that it wasn't the mud that was causing the problem.

_Maybe it__'s the wir-_ Logan interrupted her thought.

He appeared from behind her causing her to nearly jump out of her skin, "you like cars?"

Artemis looked at him as he stood next to her and looked at the engine himself, "only tough ones."

"Yeah" was all he said as he studied it and she continued working, "you ever thought its the mud?"

"Yes and no it's not the mud" she told him anger starting to rise steadily in her voice.

"You're an expert then?" he questioned her quite oblivious to her set jaw and her flaring nostrils.

She made an effort to calm herself down and found the source of the problem she fixed it easily, one of the wires had been loose, "i like to think so"

"What if you think wrong?" he teased her.

Artemis looked around the room, Scott was gone and no one else was around, "then I learn from my mistakes"

Logan laughed and rested his hands on the edge if the engine and she finally snapped, she couldn't take it anymore. His smugness, his absolute ignorance, arrogance. She smacked him across the face, he looked at her dumbstruck. Then stood to face her ready for a fight. He obviously didn't think she was much of a threat, he was stood with his feet apart his claws extended silently. He smiled at her again.

That smug face!

She didn't even think she just saw his weak spot and kicked at full speed, her toned leg stretched out in the air in front of her and made contact just between his legs. He crumpled on the floor and his claws disappeared, he struggled to get up so chose to use the car front as a ledge, his hands cripped on to the edge.

"don't mess with me" was all Artemis said and she walked away but she noticed the prop was weak.

She got in the driver's seat and slammed the door, the prop moved and the hood went crashing down on Logan's fingers, she heard him curse loudly and couldn't help but smile. He stood up and looked at her though the windscreen glaring. She took no notice and simply placed the key in the ignition. This time the jeep was brought to life with only one try.

Artemis smiled gladly to herself as she gently manoeuvred the jeep into the cleared space, Logan had left before she had chance to run him over. She got out but left it running and opened the large garage door, she got back in and drove out of the mansion grounds.


	8. Recovery

**Chapter Eight-**** Recovery**

_**Author's Note-**__** Here you go! =D Enjoy!**_

_**Chapter Song- Fake It by Seether (who I must thank Rachy for telling me about them/ordering me to listen to them lol)**_

Artemis drove down the small gravel road leading out of the school grounds at a fairly slow pace, she didn't want to accidently run any of the kids over. The jeep was resting safely in second gear as she messed around with the radio compartment. For a second she thought it was busted but was proved wrong when Highway to Hell played softly through the interior of the car.

"I'm not having that" she said and turned the volume up high singing along to the lyrics, "Living easy, living free"

She passed through the electronically controlled gates and was out on the road driving back down to the place she had dumped her own ride in the undergrowth.

_Season ticket on a one-way ride  
Asking nothing, leave me be  
Taking everything in my stride  
Don't need reason, don't need rhyme  
Ain't nothing I would rather do  
Going down, party time  
My friends are gonna be there too_

"I'm on the highway to hell!" her head nodded in time to the music of the gods AC-DC and drove just under the speed limit of fifty miles an hour in the countryside around New York State.

_No stop signs, speed limit  
Nobody's gonna slow me down  
Like a wheel, gonna spin it  
Nobody's gonna mess me round  
Hey Satan, paid my dues  
Playing in a rocking band  
Hey Momma, look at me  
I'm on my way to the promised land_

Halfway down the lane she saw a couple of cop cars hovering around a broken up car and an ambulance was nearby.

"Oh great" she said under her breath as a traffic cop flagged her down so she would stop about fifty feet back from the incident.

She rolled her window down and looked the officer up and down, he was in his early thirties and wore the standard blue uniform of the United States police force. He also wore his badge on the left side of his chest with his name underneath it, it told her he was known as 'Smith'.

The radio continued to play and she talked over it, "hey Officer Smith, what seems to be the problem?"

He wasn't a native of New York she realised, he sounded as though he was from Florida, "Well Miss we have an accident up ahead"

"Oh gosh!" she faked surprise, "what happened?"

Artemis's fake innocence lulled him into thinking she was just a harmless farmer's daughter, "Looks like the car saw something and reversed back up the road quite quickly and a young male of about eighteen got out of the car and someone decks him"

"Oh no, who would do such a thing?" she asked acting shocked by the actions she had committed.

"We don't know the guy says he doesn't remember much apart from it was a woman of average height" Smith told her.

She shook her head in disgust, "that's all he can remember?"

"Yes Miss" he looked at her and gave her a sad smile, "not even safe in your own back yard nowadays"

"it seems not" she bit her lip, "well...you see an old truck is parked up in the bushes about ten minutes drive from here, do you think you could let me through so I could get it?"

He looked back at the scene and sighed, "for a pretty thing like you sure thing, just ask for me when you need to get back through"

He flashed her a dazzling smile and rested his arms on the window as he wrote an eleven digit number down on a piece of paper, "here you go, in case there's any difficulties"

Artemis smiled at him, "why thanks, I do feel a lot safer when I know men like you are around"

She rolled up the window and he sent her through the accident scene, she saw the man she had knocked out sat in the ambulance giving a statement to the police. His face was purple from her mark and his eye was swollen shut, she couldn't help but feel proud.

Within a few minutes she was through and AC/DC blared again and she uttered one word, "men".

_I'm on the highway to hell  
Don't stop me  
And I'm going down, all the way down  
I'm on the highway to hell_

* * *

After exactly twelve minutes she spotted her beat up dirt covered off roader half hidden in the undergrowth. Artemis pulled over and left the engine running as she went to check out her baby, there were no signs of damage or that anyone had tampered with it since she had left it. She walked around it once and tried to start it up.

It spluttered several times before dying, for a few moments she considered jump starting it to try and get it back on the road but knowing her luck it'd just drain the battery of the jeep. She got out of the driver's seat and tore off the hessian covering the back. She jumped up and looked through the various large objects she stored in the back. There were her remaining suitcases, two spare wheels, chains that she attached to the wheels when it was snowing or icy and finally underneath all of it was what she called her 'fix kit'. It held jump cables, oil cans, bottles of water and various ratchets and bolts needed to fix her jeep, she spied her towing cables just under these. They were thick ropes of twisted metal that were more than capable of holding several tonnes of pressure.

She climbed out of the back of the wreck and set about connecting the cables under the main body to the reinforced skeleton so that something wouldn't fly off and scatter across the road. She did this at the back first so that she could pull it out of the undergrowth and onto tarmac, she connected the other end of the cables to the same part on the borrowed jeep and reversed it into position.

Ten minutes later her wreck was free of the vegetation and she unhooked the cables from the back of it to put them under the front bumper. After this she then tightened them up so the two vehicles were nearly on top of each other and started driving her way back to the school at a much slower pace.

* * *

When she got back to the accident scene she asked for Officer Smith and she flashed a smile before being allowed through.

Within half an hour she was steering back up the drive way and came to a standstill in front of the building.


	9. Hotwire

**Chapter Nine- Hotwire**

_**Author's Note- Hey! Scrapping the song **__**thing lol, it's too much effort and i thought I'd start to reveal a little bit more about Artemis's past with an unlikely friendship beginning to form. Enjoy!**_

Artemis got back to the school in record time at roughly two thirty P.M. and most of the kids were still in their lessons. Only the older ones that were nearing graduation were walking around outside the building and she realised that they must have a free period or something. She parked the borrowed jeep with her own dead metal baby being towed behind it out in front of the garage. Its front wheels were lifted off of the ground and almost resting on the back bumper of the working vehicle. She got out nearly jumping from the driver's seat and onto the hard gravel beneath her. She kept the working jeep running and simply placed it out of gear so it wouldn't move, even though it was strong enough to tow her own ride back here it still looked like it was going to die at any second. Maybe she'd do it a favour after she'd fixed the other one, or maybe use it for spare parts for her own if she needed to.

She slammed the door and walked over to the garage that was a little more than a few yards away and started opening the two large red double doors, luckily they had been left unlocked after she had left the grounds herself. She pushed them back to the wall and locked them into place with metal latches that had been soldered into the wall itself. Artemis looked around to make sure there was enough room for both of the large off road jeeps, there was more than enough room. That's when she noticed a muscularly male human figure crouched over a motorcycle that obviously wasn't his. It took her a few seconds to realise who it was.

"What are you doing?" she asked in an authoritarian tone and realised he was hot wiring the powerful two wheeled mode of transport.

"What's it look like?" Logan asked gruffly as he cut the wires with a small silver knife that had obviously been taken from the kitchen.

She scoffed at him and wondered just how often he had tried to hotwire a bike, he looked like an overconfident and sloppy novice, "fine be like that, just don't get in my way"

He laughed and looked at her with tired brown eyes, "why don't you stay out of my way?"

"Look, I'm sure your balls are still sore from earlier" she said slyly and with deadly intent, "we don't want them to drop off now do we?"

He snorted and his clumsy fingers continued to move between and around the wires but he didn't reply and Artemis went back to the jeeps waiting outside and carefully towed them into the garage. Part of her was worried the elevated front end of her own jeep was going to hit the top of the door frame but luckily she evaded it with only half an inch to spare. She parked it up in the middle of the room just so there was enough space for her to go back to the doors and unlatch them and close them with ease, they weren't even within a foot of the rear end of the jeep.

As Logan continued to work trying to hotwire someone else's motorcycle she walked around to where the jeeps were connected and the towing cables were strung tight and the pulley starting to strain against the pressure of it. Cautiously she started to lengthen and slacken the steel cables so that it wouldn't cause extra damage to either of the cars. As the cables loosened the jeep started to lower onto the concrete floor of the garage. Once the jeep was off of its supporter and fully relying on the cables they wined with the effort of the strain of a two ton jeep pulling on it. She slackened the cables even more not wanting them to snap under the mass of the metal but she refused to do it too quickly in case the wheels hit the concrete with too much force which would destroy the tires and damage the chassis beyond repair.

Within a few minutes it was on the floor with no extra damaged caused. Artemis reached under the trunk near the exhaust pipe of the 2004 model and unhooked the clamps that secured the cables to the body of the jeep. When they were free she set to work doing the same under the front end of her own jeep, she had to unscrew the clamps by hand and this set were rusty with age and use. It took a few moments to get them loose enough for her nimble fingers to fit around and remove them from their secured position. She tossed the cables and clamps aside at the base of a wheel of a nearby fiat so she wouldn't trip over them and they wouldn't get in the way. After this she jumped behind the driving wheel of the younger model and drove it back to where she had found it before taking the keys out of the ignition. She put them in the pocket of her faded and worn blue jeans before returning to her own pride and joy. She popped the hood and set to work on the damaged engine, before she even touched the oily remains she removed her ring and placed it nearby.

* * *

After ten minutes of working Artemis had gotten her hands around every pipe, wire and metal container that had been hidden under the small piece of red painted metal that was currently propped up by a thin rod of metal extending all the way up from the grill. Her head was bent over the darkly stained bits and pieces that she had salvaged from nearly every part of the world and every model currently in production and then some. She raised her head up and cracked her neck, she took her hands and arms from out of where they had been feeling a broken pipe. She was covered in oil up to her elbows, her hands were resting on the thin slice of metal that the hood rested on when it was closed. She looked first at her silver ring balancing precariously on the same piece of metal only on the side above the wheel arch. She then cast a glance over to where Logan was still trying to hot wire that stupid motorcycle. She sighed heavily and he looked over curious to what she was trying to do.

"What?" Artemis gave him her death stare.

He merely laughed, "Not afraid to get a little messy then"

"Life's too short to be worried if I'll ruin my nail polish" she told him trying to imitate a girly girl that she was nowhere near being as she grabbed a towel and wiped away the oil from between her fingers.

"I'm sure Scott'll like that" he murmured as he got back to work and skinning the wires of their protective plastic coating.

"Excuse me?" she asked her nostrils starting to flare for the second time that day at the same person, that rarely happened because she was way out of the way when they came around.

He stood up from his crouching position under the blue and black painted motorbike's front wheel, "you heard me"

Her jaw set for a second and the vengeful words started to form in her mouth and she edged towards him, her nostrils fully flared then she looked at him. His eyes were red around the edges and his face was contorted into a sad mask.

She sighed and went back to her injured jeep, "there's not even a point in me saying anything but at least i can hotwire a bike when I'm emotional"

"I can hotwire" he said quietly as he took a sip of a can of soda that had been resting on the nearby worn wooden table.

She eyed him as she walked around to the back of her jeep and removed the hessian searching for her industrial jack, "we both know that's not true"

"And I'm not emotional" he added in a tense tone.

She smiled in a 'I'm right and you know it' sort of way as she picked up the jack and carried it back around to the front of the jeep, "well if that's what you say but your eyes and face say differently, everyone else may not be so..." she thought for a few moments trying to find the right word, "uncaring".

"What do you care?" he got aggressive and walked towards her, "it's not as if you know what the hell is happening at this school, to its students or even in this country"

"i know a lot more about the issues around the WMHG" she dropped the jack and spoke in a hiss, "they have bases all over the world and have done for more than two decades, don't you dare tell me that i don't know what people are going through"

He stopped for a moment as he noticed angry tears starting to creep around the corners of her eyes, "you ever have a friend or just someone you need to protect at any cost just disappear off the face of the earth?"

She gave him a steely glare and the bitter tears biting at her eyes answered for her.

"You ever have a cry of help from that person? When they were with people that they considered safe?" he asked quietly.

Artemis refused to let the tears fall, too many tears had been shed and she swallowed the cries and bawls of distress forming in her throat.

His lip twitched and he went back to the motorcycle while she regained her composure. She allowed one small tear to fall from her hazel eyes and slither down her right flushed cheek before walking over to him.

"It's the wrong wires" she said pointing out his mistake.

He looked up at her questioningly.

She sighed, "You're trying to connect the green and blue wires, in that model you need the red and orange wires...it's a strange model"

He grunted and swapped the wires around. Within seconds the engine was purring like a kitten and he was sat on it making sure that the gears were set right. He looked at her and nodded with his jaw set, she did the same and watched her former enemy and current acquaintance ride out of one of the open doors at the side of the garage and wondered what else they had in common. She sighed and went back to her own work after turning on a nearby radio and tried to forget about her previous life and its troubles.


	10. Judgmental

**Chapter Ten- Judgment **

_Hey! Sorry for how late this update is! Rachy poked me into writing a chapter. I have to thank her for this chapter, she helped me a lot. XD Thankies! Italics= Flashback. Enjoy!_

Artemis picked up an old rag from nearby and rubbed her hands clean from any leftover oil. It was definitely strange being back home. A part of her had always known she would come back. You always belong where your home is. Your family will always welcome you back. They'll always love you. Well your true family will. They might not be flesh and blood but you share a bond with them that is unbreakable. Every student there felt the same.

The radio played some old seventies music. Ring my bell played loudly from the corner. She couldn't help but hum along, when she was growing up a nearby apartment played this song on repeat.

She distantly heard the door click shut and she got back to working on her injured jeep. She didn't pay attention to whoever it was but could hear them walking around, checking on things, moving stuff around.

Eventually she had to turn around and look at the person. With an oily and grimy wrench in one hand and the other holding the rag she faced them with curiosity written all over her face.

She saw Scott staring down at the place where the motorcycle had been. All the sheets covering the surround vehicles had been moved or rather thrown onto the floor. He had made a mess.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He turned around to face her and held his hands up, "I don't know. I was meant to be fixing my bike but its not here"

"Tough break" she muttered under her breath and turned back to fixing her own ride.

A few moments later he appeared next to her. She felt his presence even though her head was half way into the engine and she could only see oil covered metal. He was to her left and hovering very close. He was almost touching her arm.

She heaved herself out of the pit and glared at him, "yes?"

He asked, "Did you know who took my bike?"

Artemis knew this conversation was going to be a long one. She turned around and leaned back on the car folding her arms, "well…"

"What?" he asked agitated.

"I can tell you who didn't take it" she smiled at him purposely trying to wind him up.

His chin jutted out just a little in frustration and he pursed his lips, "thanks, I knew not to ask you"

He started to walk off.

Her mouth opened in shock, she hadn't expected that response and called after him, "what's that meant to mean?!"

He didn't even bother turning around, "doesn't matter, I'll find someone who isn't such an asshole"

She laughed.

Scott stopped at the door and looked back at her. She was grinning to herself.

"What's so funny?" he asked, his anger was disappearing.

She shook her head, "nothing. Just for an old student of Xavier you're a little judgmental"

"Things change" he commented.

"So does oil but the car still works the same" she said honestly and lifted her hand up to her forehead and scratched it.

Scott noticed the ring sitting on the ring finger of her right hand. It was silver and detailed two leaves curling around her finger and meeting at the tips. After a few seconds she saw him staring and promptly stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jeans hiding the ring.

"Unless of course, its plane oil…" she rambled, "then you're in trouble"

He chuckled, "I guess your right, and I shouldn't judge you. Did you see who took my bike?"

Artemis shrugged casually and twitched the side of her mouth into a sort of half smile before letting it drop and turning back to the jeep. She stuck her hands in again and worked on removing a major part of the engine so she could see the damage. She heard footsteps move closer and felt the weight of another person leaning on the side of the car. She kept her eyes down and carried on working.

He watched her work for a few minutes before deciding to talk, "sorry, I shouldn't assume that just because you're in the garage that you saw who took it." She didn't respond and asked the question that had been in his mind for a while, "where'd you get that ring?"

She glanced up at him from under her hair yet remained silent.

"I mean, what's it mean to you..." he wondered out loud, "did someone give it to you?"

She straightened up and looked him fully in the eye. There was no sense of sarcasm or mockery in them only sadness. She gulped once and took a deep breath before talking, "I got it a long time ago, just before I decided to leave the school. A guy, Charlie, he got it me as a going away present. We were involved and he was the only person who knew and a couple of weeks later he tracks me down to a motel in Philly. Said he couldn't bare me not being there, that he needed to be near me..."

_There was a knock on the door. More of a fist slamming into the cheap wood, trying to get my attention, it was working. I was sat on the motel bed reading up on the recent events here in Philadelphia. The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air was playing quietly in the background. I glanced up quickly and saw that Carlton was doing his dance, the alarm clock was placed on top of the TV. It told me that it was nine p.m. they knocked again. No one was meant to know I was here. I picked up my 8 mil from under the pillow and took off the safety keeping it in my left hand. I approached the door hesitantly. I opened it an inch._

"_Yeah?" I asked not looking to see who it was._

"_Arti? That you?" came the Cali accent of Charles Barker, "let me in, it's freezing out here"_

"_Charlie?" I asked dumbstruck opening the door wider. It was indeed him. He was a little taller than me and only dressed in tattered jeans and a thin jacket in a northern winter. This guy was an idiot sometimes, "what the hell are you doing here?"_

_He smiled, "wonderful to see you too" he stepped past me and into the room. He saw my gun, "jeez, Arti. You don't need that, come home!"_

"_I cant" I repeated and set the gun down on the bedside table, "I don't want to be stuck in that place my whole life"_

_He ignored me and got something out of his pocket, "here, take this" he handed a silver ring to me. It was beautiful, "will you be mine? Forever?"_

"_Where'd you get this?" I demanded, "You can't afford this!"_

_He shrugged, "I've got savings" he shook his head, "if you're not coming back then I'm going with you"_

"_No you're not" I told him, "you wanna be a teacher, not a travelling freak"_

"_so?" he laughed, "it's not as if time's going to run out for me is it?" he referred back to his healing abilities, "you are my light Diana Leto, without you there is nothing for me"_

"_Oh shut it" I blushed, "don't call me that"_

"_Hey lets go for a walk in the snow" he said after glancing out the window, "let's have a snowball fight or something"_

_He walked out of the door laughing and I had to run to catch up with him. There was screaming ahead of me further down the hall. I sprinted the rest of the way and when I got there I saw Charlie lying motionless on the floor with an angry red mark in the middle of his back. _

"_WMHG! Stay still! Do not move!" shouted several ski masked criminals._

_I gulped and scrunched my hand up tight. The ring was still my palm and the pain helped me. It made me focus. All I could see was rage. I clenched my jaw and let myself lose control. I didn't care if I got shot or if I died. I was too damn angry and upset. The room filled with light so quickly that the windows were shattered. I heard the cries of pain from the men. A moment later my light died and the men were crouched clutching their eyes. I had blinded them. I placed the ring on my finger and walked away. _

"Whoa" was all Scott could say.

"Yeah" Artemis agreed, "that's the story of my ring anyway"

He nodded silently and she felt it was her turn to ask a question. She realized that he hadn't ever taken his glasses off. He couldn't.

"Do you miss seeing colours?" she asked suddenly and caught him off guard.

"What? Oh…Erm" he paused, "yeah, yeah I do"

"Why do they need to be ruby anyway?" she wondered.

He shrugged, "Xavier says that it's the only colour that stops my power"

"Huh" she said to herself, "I thought that maybe he could do contact lenses or something or just ordinary coloured glasses"

"I was captured by the WMHG at one point...they gave me the protection fluid and I could see for a while" he murmured.

She smiled, "Xavier could be able to refine it then"

He nodded, "I hope so"

She then went back to working on the engine and Scott hung around for a few seconds before walking away and briefly stopping at the place where his phantom bike should've been.

Artemis called to him while her head was still in the engine cavity, "It was Logan by the way"

He chuckled softly, "I should've known"

Then he left her all alone in the garage. She fumbled with the ring feeling a little worse for wear. There was a reason she didn't think of the past.


	11. Team Player

**Chapter Eleven- Team Player**

_Hey! Hope you like this one! Enjoy :)_

Nothing much happened for the rest of the day. Artemis locked herself away in the garage working on her battered jeep. She didn't even come out when the rest of the school was having their dinner. Scott on the other hand didn't have any other classes for the day. He was annoyed that Logan had taken his motorcycle but there was no way he could catch up with him. It was sudden which meant that he'd gone for a purpose. Hopefully he'd bring it back. He went downstairs for the rest of the afternoon and worked on the plane. It hadn't been flown much and hadn't been serviced in over a year.

* * *

In the evening Artemis realized how ravenous she was and promptly dropped her tools, dropped the hood and closed up shop. She had nearly had to disembowel the engine and was half way through rebuilding it. She used the opportunity of safety and sanctuary within the school to work through every problem that her baby had. It was going to take some time. After the engine there would be the suspension and brakes to work through along with the body of the vehicle. She left the garage and shortly afterwards was rooting through the refrigerator. She bit her lower lip as she scanned the contents. Eggs, ham, lettuce and other vegetables, cheese. She gave up and worked through the freezers.

While she was crouching on the floor a group of students entered. They were ready for leaving and going into the world. She paid them no notice and grabbed some burgers. She kicked the freezer door shut and set about frying them. As she did so she cast several glances over to the group that were sat near the counter. Two girls and two boys. The girls and one of the boys were chatting happily whereas the other seemed deep in his thoughts. She grabbed some cheese and put it on a few of the burgers that were slowly being cooked in oil.

The smallest girl walked over and asked her, "Are you one of the new teachers?" The kid had dark hair and pale skin.

She shook her head, "No, just an old student that's all, why?"

She flexed her shoulders in a shrugging motion, "just the way you were in the mechanics lesson this morning that's all. I'm Kitty"

"Artemis" was her answer as she dished up the burgers onto a plate and grabbed a knife and fork. She stared at the blonde guy, "what's up with your friend?"

Kitty sighed, "You hear about Rose Xavier?"

She nodded.

"He's in love with her" she said bluntly then tacked on the end, "dumped Rogue, who's dead, for her then she takes off. He feels guilty"

Artemis grimfaced, "I'm sure she's fine. From what Scott told me she's quite independent"

She nodded then she changed the topic, "do you know where Logan went? No one can find him"

She was about to speak then closed her mouth. She didn't actually know where he'd gone. It was somewhere on a bike. That's all she could tell anyone, "nope"

"Huh" was all Kitty said for a moment before asking her quietly, "can you talk to Bobby please? Try and get him to lighten up?"

"Erm" she thought and took a bite, "sure"

"Thanks" she smiled up at her.

The other guy and girl started to walk out of the room, "you coming Kitty?"

She ran to catch up with them choosing to go through the wall itself. Artemis blinked for a few minutes. Her plate was cleared of food and she dumped it in the dish washer. It was full but she wasn't quite sure of how to set it off. She'd never had to deal with plates. Just buy some take out or cook food over an open fire for the few months when she was in Africa. She looked around quickly and noticed the blonde kid still sat at the counter.

She cleared her throat until his eyes cleared and he managed to focus. She asked, "You know how to work this?"

"Oh yeah" he sounded drugged or half asleep. Maybe a combination of the two. He got up and walked over to the machine.

Artemis stepped aside to let him sort it out. She watched him press several buttons and close the door, "thanks, and its Bobby right?"

He nodded, "yeah, you are?"

"Artemis" she told him, "I'm not good at pep talks or anything. Someone asked me to talk to you about Rose Xavier"

He groaned loudly, "I wish everyone would back off!"

She raised her hands in mock surrender, "hey, I'm only doing this because they asked nicely. I guess the situation is a lot more complicated and hopeless than they told me so I'm not going to attempt to tell you something that'll make everything disappear because it won't. What I am going to say is that she's left the school and no one knows where she is. There's a reason for that, she doesn't want anyone to know. Don't feel guilty about her leaving 'cause trust me no guy is the centre of any woman's universe. She probably had a real reason and she's probably safe and working through her problems at her own pace. So…" she thought of what else there was to say, "Buck up and move on"

She left the room and left him standing there looking bemused. Artemis had never been a fan of the hugs and cuddles movement, she was very much a member of the tough love club. It was the way she lived her life. It was the way someone like her survived in the big bad world.

* * *

Scott had just left the elevator when he heard Bobby almost shouting at someone. He wandered over to the kitchen and stopped just before he reached the door. He heard someone giving him a talk. At first he didn't realize who it was. Then it clicked into place. Artemis. A few words stuck in his head, 'buck up and move on'

He sighed and walked off up the stairs just as she emerged from the room looking a little sour. He gave her half a smile and she didn't return it. Instead she walked over to one of the empty class rooms and shut the door.

* * *

Artemis ran her hands through her hair. She had been a little harsh with the kid but it was what he needed. If he didn't respond to people being 'there for him' or putting up with his self pity then someone had to tell him how it was. Give him a quick dose of reality.

"Hey"

The voice startled her and she twirled on the spot to see one of the other teachers sat at their desk marking papers. She sighed relief. The woman was African-American by the looks of it and had silvery-white hair.

"Hi" she responded, "didn't realize anyone was in here"

"Oh it's okay" she said kindly, "The Professor told us about you. I've been wanting to meet you. I'm Ororo Monroe" she got up and offered her left hand to shake.

Artemis accepted it with her right, "I'm Artemis Winchester," she wandered and sat down on one of the students desks nearby, "what exactly has the Professor said about me?"

Ororo sat back down and took a sip of her coffee, "oh nothing really. Just that you were one of the students that gave him the most grief"

They both laughed.

"I wasn't that bad" she tried to defend herself, "unless I was playing sports"

"Or running off" she smiled at the other woman, "don't worry all he did was warn us not to annoy you unless we wanted a spontaneous holiday in a hospital bed"

Artemis couldn't help but smile. She liked this woman, "so what do you teach?"

"History" she chimed, "although I teach students how to fly when they want to join the team"

"The X-men?" she asked.

Ororo nodded, "Yes, I like for nearly everyone to be able to fly the plane. In fact" she paused for a moment, "this is normally decided by Xavier himself but I was wondering if you'd like to join?"

This shocked her. She didn't know what to say. She actually didn't. Her mouth opened and closed several times without any sound coming out. Eventually she could speak, "I'm not really a team player. Every time I work with someone I'm the only one who walks away so I'll think I'll pass"

The smile faded from her face, "well if you change your mind you know where I am"

Artemis nodded, "yeah, if it's an emergency then sure but not long term. I only plan on riding out the Anti-mutant movements here"

She turned and left wondering what Xavier had actually said about her. She didn't like being part of a team, she didn't like working with others and she didn't like relying on others. She worked alone, she survived on her own and she relied on herself.

She walked up to her room and stayed there for the rest of the night.


End file.
